Perfumes Loewe counts to 7 again to craft a Natural new men’s scent

Perfumes Loewe is this month introducing a new masculine fragrance called Loewe 7 Natural. The scent was revealed in late March, during a press event in Madrid, at which The Moodie Report was the exclusive travel retail media.

The launch event included a visit to the city’s flagship Loewe store; a tour of some of Madrid’s most famous parks; and a trip on the spectacular Teleférico cable car. The fragrance was officially revealed at the renowned Filandón Restaurant, in the presence of Perfumes Loewe President Juan Pedro Abeniacar, and the fragrance face, Spanish matador Cayetano Rivera.

The advertising visual for Perfumes Loewe’s new 7 Natural fragrance, which features the matador Cayetano Rivera

Loewe 7 Natural is the latest addition to the brand’s 7 men’s universe, and is being launched in the year that Perfumes Loewe celebrates its 40th anniversary. The original 7 Eau de Toilette – inspired by “Spanish essence, luxury, tradition and modernity” – was introduced in 2010. It too was fronted by Rivera, considered an ideal face for the project, given his “passion, beauty and elegance”. Loewe 7 Natural, as its name suggests, aims to showcase a different, relaxed, more natural attitude.

“Today we reveal another 7,” declared Abeniacar, at the start of the press lunch. “You will know that often, when there is a successful men’s fragrance, a Sport version follows. This is a little bit different, something much more linked to the outside, to nature.”

He continued: “The original 7 had only seven components, and we have kept that same spirit with this composition”¦After lunch, we will toast the great success I am sure we will have with this fragrance, which I think is fantastic and wear every day.”

The lunch was preceded by a “gastronomic journey” of seven themed hors d’Å“uvres, each of which represented a different ingredient of Loewe 7 Natural, such as bitter orange filled with creamy chocolate, and red tuna tartar with yuzu juice.

The Loewe 7 Natural concept
The original Loewe 7 fragrance invited consumers to share the moment of intimate intensity experienced by el torero (Cayetano) before he enters the ring. Loewe 7 Natural – described as a pure-cool, open and natural fragrance – aims to take the wearer far from the tension of his daily life, to a place where he can breathe, disconnect, reflect, relax and renew his energy for different challenges, according to the brand.

In line with the ‘Natural’ concept, the launch included a tour of Madrid’s parks and a trip on the Teleférico cable car

Like its predecessor, the Loewe 7 Natural juice, composed by nose Emilio Valeros, comprises just seven ingredients. These are yuzu, bitter orange, pink pepper, incense, cedar, vetiver and musk. The new fragrance is presented in a reworked version of the original 7 flacon, with a lighter blue and silver colour-scheme.

The advertising visual features a smiling Rivera, clad in leather, reclining against a wall. It was shot by Spanish photographer Santiago Esteban. The Loewe 7 Natural range comprises a 50ml and 100ml edt spray, and a 100ml deo spray.

Meeting the matador
Cayetano Rivera comes from a long line of famous bullfighters. His father was a bull-fighter, as is his brother, Francisco Rivera Ordóñez. His great-grandfather, Cayetano Ordóñez, fought under the name ‘Niño de la Palma’, and was the inspiration for the matador in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Rivera’s grandfather Antonio Ordóñez was a friend of Orson Welles and Hemingway, and was the subject of his book The Dangerous Summer, alongside Rivera’s great-uncle Luis Miguel Dominguín.

Cayetano Rivera is greeted at the launch event by Perfumes Loewe President Juan Pedro Abeniacar

Despite his heritage, Rivera came to the sport of bull-fighting comparatively late. He made his novice debut con picadores on 26 March 2005. On 9 September 2006, he took his alternativa to become a full matador in the bullring with which his family is most associated, in Ronda, with his brother Francisco as his padrino.

Rivera looks more like a supermodel than someone who earns his living in the bullring. Dark and lean, with incredible eyes and a deep, husky voice, he oozes charm and charisma. So far, so playboy. But there is substance behind Rivera’s (considerable) style. During the course of his interview with The Moodie Report, he proves himself to be intelligent, articulate, attentive and polite.

Perfumes Loewe’s 7 Natural fragrance was officially revealed over lunch at the renowned Filandón Restaurant

“I grew up with Loewe,” he reveals. “It is a Spanish company, rooted in tradition. I am familiar with a lot of its products, but through this project it was very interesting to get to know about a new world. [Fragrance] is very different from my day job. Much safer”¦”

He continues: “I wasn’t involved in choosing the ingredients, but I did go to see how they extracted the essences. It was amazing, much more artisanal than I thought it would be. And I learned that using only seven components is very difficult – some fragrances have 250! The whole process was very impressive.”

Rivera’s role is to embody, within the advertising campaign, not just the concept of the fragrance but also some of the wider core values of the Loewe brand. What does he consider those to be? “Passion, courage, strength and tradition,” he replies without any hesitation.

The positioning and advertising campaign for Loewe 7 and 7 Natural are very different, although both feature Rivera. He explains how it was easy for him to create such a contrasting persona for this latest fragrance.

“7 Natural retains the main essence of the original, because only two of the seven components have been changed, to create something fresher for summer,” Rivera notes. “In my profession, I have what I would call more intense moments of bullfighting, which could be likened to the original 7, but then during my preparation in spring and winter, I am in a much more natural environment, more closely connected to the countryside, which suits 7 Natural. So I think with the two fragrances we combine all of these elements at different times.”

Our sense of smell is arguably the most evocative of all. Are there any scents that have had a particular impact on Rivera? “Sure, especially the ones that remind me of my childhood,” he replies. “Incense reminds me very much of Sevilla [Seville], where I lived until I was nine. Orange too reminds me of Sevilla in the spring.

“But it’s true that certain smells remind you of a person, or a place or even a specific time,” Rivera muses. “Smell is very, very personal. That’s why perfume is a complex gift, because it’s very intimate.”

The fragrance ingredients, and Loewe’s leathergoods heritage, were showcased in detail during the launch event

While Rivera is now, of course, a Loewe 7 convert, in his youth he had somewhat less sophisticated tastes. “The first fragrance I remember buying was a cologne; its name was Brut,” he recounts, “I wore it because my father used it. Perhaps I wanted to feel closer to him, and that helped, because it reminded me of him.” [Editor’s note: Rivera was just seven years old when his father died, after being gored by a bull.]

He continues: “I used to have a fragrance wardrobe, but now I wear 7 – and from today I’m lucky that I have two to choose from. I think it has a lot of personality. It’s intense at the beginning, but then it softens and is not too strong. I do like it; I think it has character.”

He may be a fan of fragrance, but despite his immaculate appearance, Rivera claims not to use any anti-ageing lotions and potions. “I haven’t done any of that [male grooming] yet,” he grins. “But perhaps I should start to think about it.”

The Moodie Report’s Associate Editor Rebecca Mann enjoys an exclusive audience with el torero Cayetano Rivera

However, there are rituals to perform before entering the bullring. “It’s mostly about the way we dress, and the order we get dressed in; practical things,” Rivera explains. “It takes about an hour. At the end, it’s a very tense, but very spiritual moment. When I’m dressed up, and I put on my perfume and everyone leaves the room, that’s the last time I spend by myself before going into the ring.”

It seems like such an invasive, almost impolite question, but why would anyone choose a profession that involves fighting bulls? Why choose such a dangerous way to earn a living?

“That’s actually the thing that attracted me most,” Rivera counters. “What was the feeling, how was it so strong that it made a man want to risk his own life doing it? That’s what made me want to know about it.”

He continues: “Of course, in my case it was a lot to do with family too, and I wanted to know more about my roots. I wanted to know, to experience for myself, what had made them do it, and to understand certain things that perhaps if you’re not into it, you’re not aware of. So yes, I was curious. And perhaps it was expected of me because of my family tradition, but it wasn’t expected that I did it so late.”

Before becoming a bullfighter, Rivera worked in film, on the production side, which must make for a unique CV. “In the end, it was a mix of things that made me take that last step and decide to try to become a bullfighter,” he admits. “And it was a great responsibility, because all of my family were somehow geniuses in their own way. It was a difficult decision. I spent one and a half years just thinking about it.”

Rivera explains that there are different types of bullfighting, and different matadors focus on different elements. “You have to have a certain minimum strength, to support a bullfight,” he notes, “but after that, it varies. Some people focus on the technique, others are more artistic”¦My bullfighting tends to be more classical, and is perhaps considered to be more pure. It has a lot to do with sensibility, with feelings. I need to feel that I really want to bullfight. If I bullfight very often, then it becomes like a routine and I don’t like that at all.”

This year Rivera says that he is hoping to fight “not more than 40 times. Other years I have had 80 contracts,” he confirms. “But I’ve found with experience that I’m a bullfighter of fewer fights. I enjoy them more; I feel them more; and they become more special.”

Like its predecessor, the Loewe 7 Natural juice, composed by nose Emilio Valeros, comprises just seven ingredients

But isn’t Rivera ever afraid? “Always,” he replies, seriously. “There’s no bullfighter who isn’t afraid. Not just of the bull, but of the responsibility. If you’re not afraid, you don’t value it very much. And you have to value it, this fact that you have to face the fear. And also control it.”

It doesn’t show but he has been hurt, he says, “a few times”, and once very badly. “I have had some injuries,” he acknowledges, “and once the doctors told me there was a chance I wouldn’t make it to the next day. That was quite a rough night”¦But it’s just something you have to accept and assimilate.”

Despite his obvious love of his profession, Rivera knows there is a shelf-life and that after he finishes, he will need a third career. He perhaps has more options than most: he could return to his career in film production or, given his film-star looks, stay in front of the camera as an actor or a model.

“I’m open to any possibilities,” he says with a shrug. “I know that bullfighting is not forever. In terms of acting or modelling, it would be interesting and fun, I think, to put yourself in somebody else’s place, to have to get into that life and understand certain different situations other than your own. It must be very satisfactory.”

2012 is a landmark year for the house of Loewe as its fragrance division celebrates its 40th anniversary

Surely there must already be an element of transformation, of adopting a different persona, when he is fighting in the ring? “I do feel different then,” he agrees, “because in my personal life I consider myself to be quite shy and reserved. But when I enter the ring, there are thousands of people watching, so I have to overcome that. It’s like acting, yet it’s real.”

Afterwards there is, perhaps inevitably, an emotional crash. “There is a huge come-down,” confirms Rivera. “I feel”¦knackered,” he laughs, “but very awake.” That makes relaxing a complicated activity. Does Rivera seek out activities in his personal life that might deliver a comparable adrenaline rush to that of the bullring?

“I guess so,” he replies. “I have done sky-diving, rafting, skiing; I have a motorcycle. I suppose that has something to do with my way of living. But I can assure you that I have not found anything that has given me more adrenaline than bull-fighting. Nothing even comes close.”

Loewe’s Natural Talent

We’re a versatile bunch at The Moodie Report, and fortunately, very little fazes us. Interview with Madonna? No problem at all. Dinner with Julia Roberts? Don’t mind if I do. Lunch with a matador? All in a day’s work. Hang on, did you say matador? Yes indeed, in every sense, we have serious range”¦

More on The Moodie Blog

“Aficionados consider bullfighting to be a culturally important tradition, and a fine art form on a par with painting, dancing and music. Its detractors consider it a cruel blood sport that should be banned. What is Rivera’s response to the latter? “I understand that point of view, and I respect it, in fact,” he responds. “I understand that it’s difficult for some people, even those who have it in their own culture, to see it as anything other than negative. So for people who don’t have it in their culture, it must be even harder.”

He continues: “I try, from my position, to show my bullfighting world, so that others can understand it, because I think some of the opposition comes from not knowing enough about it. I have made a documentary, for example, and do lots of things to help people learn more about it.

“I’m not asking them – or expecting them – to subsequently like it. I am just asking for their respect, in the same way that I respect their position.”

As the interview draws to a close we talk briefly about travel. “I travel a lot, and I love it,” declares Rivera. “The only problem is that when I travel [for work], I don’t get to know the places where I go. I fly in, I fly out, and on the day of the bullfight I don’t leave my hotel room. It’s a pity. I’d like to spend more time in these places but it’s difficult because of the training.”

He continues: “But one of my greatest hobbies, when I do have the opportunity, is to travel. I love Rome, it’s such a beautiful city. I like Croatia, Morocco and I love New York. It’s a city I would like to live in at some point. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, but that’s very different. In Asia I’ve been to Beijing and Bangkok.”

Most of Rivera’s fights take place in Spain, Portugal and France. Within the Americas, he fights in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador.

While travelling, does he ever shop at airports? “I always look around, but I don’t always buy,” he laughs. “If I do, it’s usually something typical of the local region.

“But I enjoy going to airports where there’s a lot of life, and good commercial surroundings,” he concludes. “If I have to choose between different airports for the same destination, that’s what my decision depends on.”

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